It will now cost you more to drive down Sheikh Zayed Road

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You’re used to the Salik charge on Sheikh Zayed Road now, so you probably know that the toll gates between Al Safa and Al Barsha were linked, to stop traffic being charged twice in a short space of time. Well, that’s stopped now. From Sunday February 19, you will be charged every time you pass through these toll gates.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has unlinked the gates in an effort to reduce traffic flow and keep Sheikh Zayed Road as a quick way to travel. This means that if you pass through the Safa Park and Barsha gates one after the other, you will be charged AED4 at each gate.

Commuters who regularly use this route as a journey to work will therefore be charged an extra AED8 per day (that’s an extra AED160 per month, if you work a regular five day week).

This announcement has been made after improvements to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, so those wishing to avoid the toll gates have other options of how to travel across the city.

It’s likely that this will mean less traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road during rush hour, enabling business travellers and those commuting to the airport to reach their destination in less time.

Previously, you would only be charged for one Salik gate if you went through the second within 40 minutes, which meant that Sheikh Zayed Road was a relatively cheap way to get across the city.